Christian leaders speak to our country

“For the last few days, I’ve struggled to know what should be said and what could be done” in response to events around our country. The words of Christian Worldview author John Stonestreet express my thoughts and feelings, too.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor hung by the Nazis, once said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” But, I simply cannot find the words to write about the tragic events happening in our country, so I searched for words from respected Christian leaders.

Super Bowl-winning Coach Tony Dungy has released this statement, “America is in a very sad place today. We have seen a man die senselessly, at the hands of the very people who are supposed to be protecting our citizens. We have seen people protest this death by destroying property and dreams of people in their own community, the very people they are protesting for. We have many people pointing fingers of blame, painting the opposite side with a broad brush. We have anger and bitterness winning out over logic and reason. We have distrust and prejudice winning out over love and respect.

“What happened to George Floyd was inexcusable and it should never happen. Justice needs to be served, but in seeking justice we can’t fall into the trap of prejudging every police officer we see. What started out as peaceful protests has devolved into arson and looting and that should never happen either. Yes, there should be protests. But we do not have license to perform criminal acts because we’re angry.”

Author/ minister Max Lucado has written, “Every person you see was created by God to bear His image and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect (Genesis 1:26) . This means that all people deserve to be seen for who they are: image-bearers of God. Imagine the impact this promise would have upon the society that embraced it…What kindness it would foster! Racism will not flourish when people believe their neighbor bears God’s image.

The Southern Baptist Convention published this statement, “As a convention of churches committed to the equality and dignity of all people, Southern Baptists grieve the death of George Floyd…. The images and information we have available to us in this case are horrific and remind us that there is much more work to be done to ensure that there is not even a hint of racial inequity in the distribution of justice in our country. We grieve to see examples of the misuse of force, and call for these issues to be addressed with speed and justice.”

The SBC statement recognized law enforcement officers who “uphold justice with dignity and integrity” but also lamented “when some law enforcement officers misuse their authority and bring unnecessary harm on the people they are called to protect.” Southern Baptist leaders referenced the Bible’s condemnation of injustice and the need to follow the example of Jesus. 

The statement goes on to say, “Therefore, as a matter of Christian obedience and devotion, followers of Jesus Christ cannot remain silent when our brothers and sisters, friends and/or people we seek to win for Christ are mistreated, abused or killed unnecessarily. Therefore, we pray for our local, state and national leaders as they seek justice, and call on them to act quickly and diligently to ensure that these situations are brought to an end.”

Anglican priest Esau McCalley penned these challenging words, “We the American church have a message for a country and a world on fire: There is a God who loves you and died that you might know him. This love is sufficient to gather the divided peoples of the world, even when all the politicians and philosophers fail. There is a God of justice who sees and acts on behalf of the beleaguered peoples of the world, people like George Floyd.”

Jan White is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who lives in Andalusia. Her email address is [email protected].